Walmart Unveils Preparation for Covid-19 Vaccine Rollouts

By Michael Dabaie

Walmart Inc. said Friday it is preparing for rollouts of Covid-19 vaccines and expects to be able to deliver 10 million to 13 million doses per month at full capacity.

Steps include training thousands of pharmacists and pharmacy techs, building a new digital scheduling tool for appointments and partnering with state and federal agencies as it awaits allocations.

"Today, at the dawn of the most significant vaccine rollout of our lifetimes, Walmart again stands ready to serve," Cheryl Pegus, executive vice president of health and wellness, wrote in a post on the company's web site.

"As we look to a future when supply can meet demand and more people are eligible to receive the vaccine, we plan to offer the vaccine seven days a week at our pharmacies, through planned in-store vaccination clinics and through large community events," Dr. Pegus wrote in the post.

The post said that at full capacity, Walmart expects to be able to deliver 10 million to 13 million doses per month when supply and allocations allow.

Walmart and Sam's Club operate more than 5,000 pharmacies in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, many of which serve underserved communities and rural areas, the company said.

"We have nearly 4,000 Walmart locations that are positioned within one or more of the federally designated medically underserved areas or where there are limited pharmacy options," the post said.

Walmart said it is ready for Covid-19 vaccination events in underserved communities. Walmart said it can partner with community organizations to provide vaccination services at third party locations like churches, stadiums and youth centers.

Shares were up 0.6%, to $145.74, in late morning trading.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 22, 2021 11:40 ET (16:40 GMT)

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